Polyurethanes /
Polyurethanes / Elastomers A milestone towards biobased polyurethanes At the European Coatings Show 2015 from April 21 – 23 in Nuremberg, Germany, the industry’s largest event worldwide, Bayer MaterialScience (Leverkusen, Germany) will be introducing new milestones in polyurethanes, underscoring its global leadership in polyurethane raw materials for high-performance and environmentally compatible coatings and adhesives as well as its alignment on the needs of its customers. PDI: a new isocyanate from biomass There are quite a number of biobased polyols in the market and further in development in the industry, but the limiting factor so far to develop a biobased polyurethane has been the challenge of coming up with a biobased hardener. Customers are increasingly demanding products based on renewable raw materials. Environmental compatibility is becoming a market requirement. At the European Coatings Show, Bayer MaterialScience is showcasing a milestone in this field: DESMODUR ® eco N, a solvent free aliphatic polyisocyanate and the first polyurethane crosslinker on the market with a significant renewable content that has not come at the expense of performance. This crosslinker is based on a new isocyanate: Pentamethylene diisocyanate (PDI), an entirely new isocyanate, 70 % of whose carbon content (i. e. 5 of the 7 carbon atoms in a PDI molecule) comes from biomass without generating any direct competition for food production. Currently the biomass source is starch from not eatable plants like e. g. field corn. Field corn is not eaten by humans; the variety of maize humans eat is called sweet corn. Field corn is used as animal feed and for multiple industrial applications such as paper or cleaners and detergents, among others. Bayer’s suppliers are already working on switching from first generation feedstock (feed) to second generation feedstock (cellulosics & biowaste) as a biomass source for the future. This process is starting to be available in significant plant sizes for bioethanol already, however it is more complex and for PDI purposes will take a few more years to be delivered in sufficient commercial volumes. Bayer’s PDI can potentially be applied wherever hexamethylene diisocycanate (HDI) is currently being used. Bayer MaterialScience has always evaluated newly available biobased building blocks. “The first synthesis of PDI even goes back to experiments of the inventor of polyurethanes – Dr. Otto Bayer (Leverkusen), “says Dr. Gesa Behnken, Head of Global New Technologies at the Coatings, Adhesives, Specialties Business Unit, , Bayer Material Science, “In the past decade we have intensively evaluated different biobased raw materials for the synthesis of polyurethane crosslinkers and identified PDI as the best one, technically and environmentally.” With this addition to its portfolio, Bayer MaterialScience can for the first time offer its customers an eco-friendly hardener component, which for them is a key differentiating factor. A comprehensive technology platform currently is being developed to evaluate additional uses for PDI-based raw materials in coatings, adhesives and other applications. Bayer MaterialScience intends to bring the first PDIbased product to market in April 2015. Commercial manufacturing is tplanned from 2016 with an annual capacity of up to 20,000 metric tons. These products will be manufactured in existing plants using energy-efficient gasphase technology. MT www.materialscience.bayer.com O C N C H 2 C C H 2 C C H 2 C N C O O C N C H 2 C C H 2 C C N C O H 2 H 2 H 2 H 2 H 2 H 2 HDI (Hexamethylene diisocyanate) hexa = 6 carbon atoms in the backbone PDI (Pentamethylene diisocyanate) penta = 5 (biobased) carbon atoms in the backbone 24 bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/15] Vol. 10
Polyurethanes / Elastomers First biobased TPE suspension for bed slats OMFI srl (Camparada, Italy) run by Pietro Frigerio, is a company of excellence in high technology plastic injection molding. The company has recently designed and created an innovative green alternative in bed slat suspensions. Founded over 40 years ago by Isaia Frigerio and still run by the Frigerio family, Omfi has distinguished itself within the Italian context with its great expertise both in designing molds and producing technical articles of quality particularly for the home furnishing industry. Always attentive to quality and innovation, with the strength of decades-long experience in molding technical articles, Omfi has developed and produced the first suspension for bed slats produced in Bioplastics using the new TPE biobased MEGOL BIO which was developed by API Spa (Mussolente, Italy). Not only is this innovative suspension 100 % recyclable, thanks to its being made of thermoplastic resin of the TPE- SEBS family, but it also maintains a series of technical and functional advantages such as resistance to aging and good and constant elastic qualities. In addition, the MEGOL BIO used contains up to 25 % of renewable resources which is of clear benefit to the environment. This factor results in a benefit that can be measured by the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) according to the ISO 14040- 14044 standards, a method that analyzes the environmental impact of a product throughout its entire life cycle, right from the selection of raw materials used in production until its full and final disposal. The MEGOL BIO family of compounds is based on raw materials from renewable sources and vegetable crops thus contributing to the reduction of CO 2 emissions and greenhouse gases, the saving of fossil resources and the efficient use of agricultural resources. This project confirms Omfi’s historical orientation towards innovation that since 1963 has designed and manufactured technologically advanced solutions and this further strengthens the partnership between Omfi and API Spa in finding solutions with a low environmental impact. MT www.omfi.it www.apiplastic.com INTAREMA ® The new system generation from EREMA. Self-service. Redefined. Reaching perfect pellet quality at the press of a button: the new INTAREMA ® features the intelligent Smart Start operating concept, bringing together production efficiency and remarkably straightforward operation. This is all about usability. Including an ergonomic touchscreen, practical recipe management and automated standby mode. CHINAPLAS / Shanghai / 20.-23.5.2015 Booth 9.2A41 CHOOSE THE NUMBER ONE. bioplastics MAGAZINE [02/15] Vol. 10 25
